Is Monster: Ed Gein a love letter to abuse survivors, or hate mail to the 1950’s misunderstanding of the mentally ill? 

Ryan Murphy’s latest project has met, and even in some ways exceeded the high expectations predicted. However, the series has us asking ourselves; how much of a “monster” was Ed Gein?

A Mother’s Boy

There is no dispute, Ed Gein was a victim of his mother Augusta. She blatantly abused him. While she did not physically hit him as his father did, she had her own damaging methods both he and his brother Henry were subjected to. 

Augusta Gein and Ed Gein.

Augusta used religion, manipulation, and social isolation to exercise her control over her sons. From a young boy she shaped Ed’s psyche, which was already vulnerable and beginning to fracture from his disorder.

A Monster of a Mother

Ed Gein’s mother was fanatically religious. She routinely read Bible verses to her sons that reaffirmed her beliefs. Her teachings centered around the belief that all women are evil, herself being the only exception. Augusta coupled sex and genitalia with sin. Growing up she punished Ed for masturbating. She called his genitals “the curse of man” and made both of her boys promise her they would always remain virgins. 

Augusta Gein, Ed Gein’s mother.

Into his adulthood she forbade Ed from ever touching a woman, even if it was to pro-create. Sex was the ultimate sin. To Augusta, all women were jezebels, harlots, and sinners that spread venereal diseases. 

Sheltered at the Farm

Augusta Gein viewed the family’s early life in the city of La Crosse as filthy, filled with sin and immorality. In 1914 she moved her husband and sons to the farm in Plainfield, Wisconsin. They were physically isolated, and the closest neighbor was almost a mile away. At the property she was able to exert her complete control, and raise her boys the way she saw fit without the interference of others.

Ed was not allowed to socialize as a young boy. In fact, his mother refused to let either of her sons form friendships at school, and she would severely punish Ed when he tried. She kept him and his brother preoccupied with chores on the farm instead of activities with other children.  

Ed Gein’s farmhouse in Plainfield, Wisconsin.

By keeping Ed isolated, Augusta became his only source of interaction. Through her constant berating, she made him emotionally and mentally dependent on her. She made Ed believe he didn’t need anyone else other than her, nor did he need anyone else’s love. 

Despite her blatant abuse over the course of his life, Ed idolized her.

Ed’s Appearance

Even if Augusta had allowed Ed to make friends at school, it probably would not have been easy for him. Kids are cruel, and he was unfortunately ripe for bullying. He had a growth on his left eyelid. It did not severely impair his vision, but it resulted in the appearance of it drooping downward. Sadly, kids will ostracize anyone who looks different.  

Ed Gein’s droopy left eye.

If that didn’t put him into bullying territory, he also had a lesion on his tongue that impeded his speech. This impediment coupled with a slight stammer. These characteristics made him not safe at school or home from constant ridicule. 

In addition to his speech impediments, people who recalled speaking with Ed later in life remembered how he had a soft voice, and he sometimes mumbled. Charlie Hunnam’s portrayal in Monster reflects this accurately. However, the reason for his speech and demeanor were not explicitly stated in the series. Viewers may have inaccurately misinterpreted Gein as intellectually disabled.

An Innocent Mind

Many people came away from the series wondering if Ed Gein was mentally delayed. After being evaluated in 1957, it was revealed he had a diagnosed intelligence quotient (IQ) of 99. An average IQ ranges from 90-109, putting Gein inside of the bracket of “intellectually adequate.” 

While Charlie Hunnam’s portrayal in Monster may have come across as Gein being mentally impaired, it was partly due to a reflection of his simple minded, midwestern nature. We have to remember, Ed Gein lived in the early and mid 1900’s when life was  much different, especially in rural Wisconsin. Life was not fast paced, and Ed was not highly educated. 

Augusta Gein (Laurie Metcalf) and Ed Gein (Charlie Hunnam).

The highest schooling Gein completed was the eighth grade. Despite reports of being an average student and an excellent reader, he was 14 years old when he dropped out. When you combine all of these elements, you get Ed Gein’s very distinct and mild mannered personality. Not the personality you would expect from a monster.

Mental illness and the mid 1950’s

Ed Gein was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1957, specifically “schizophrenic reaction of the chronic undifferentiated type”. The diagnosis resulted in Gein being declared mentally unfit to stand trial, and his admittance into a psychiatric hospital.

Ed Gein in Mendota Mental Health Institute.

Given his diagnosis, Gein pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. He was initially committed to the Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Wisconsin. Later in his life he was transferred to the Mendota Mental Health Institute. He spent the rest of his life behind walls until he died on July 26, 1984.

An Unexpected Message Behind the Story?

Ryan Murphy’s season 3 of Monster was a lot of things. It was part drama, part documentary, a lot of horror, and a good dose of fiction mixed in. But was it something bigger? Was Ryan Murphy trying to make a statement about mental health as well? Was he trying to change the narrative society condemned Ed Gein to, especially now that our way of thinking has evolved?

We may never know if it was Ryan Murphy’s initial intention to cast a different light upon the Ghoul of Plainfield, but he certainly put Ed Gein in a light much of the audience did not see him in before. A light conveying plausible doubt of accountability due to mental impairment. 

Ed Gein (Charlie Hunnam).

The narrative society had condemned Ed Gein to in the 1950’s was accurate for the time. However, now that the fields of medicine, psychology, and criminal justice have evolved, so has the understanding behind Gein’s psyche. He was not the cold blooded monster he was once described as.  

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